


Barrissoka: A Love Story

by lordhadrian



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Best Friends, Clone Wars, Clones, Community: starwarsficfest, Episode: s05e02 The Wrong Jedi, F/F, Forgiveness, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Jedi, Jedi Code, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Star Wars References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-25
Updated: 2015-03-25
Packaged: 2018-03-19 14:51:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3614019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lordhadrian/pseuds/lordhadrian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An alternate universe Barrissoka story for Star Wars the Clone Wars, the story continues after the Season 5 finale "The Wrong Jedi"</p>
<p>Commander Tarkin and Baron Papanoida are about to punish Barriss Offee by freezing her in carbonite and sending her to Palpatine as a perverted gift for Life Day.  Tarkin also intends to use her as a message against the Jedi.  Barriss is about to give in to her guilt and face the darkest punishment, when a miracle happens.</p>
<p>This is a story of moral ambiguity, but also one about the strength of forgiveness and redemption.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Dark Gift for Palpatine

**Author's Note:**

> Just as a small warning, I made this story to see if I could. Just an interesting study in characters for my own thoughts. This story is not meant to offend or give wrong impressions. It is simply a love story and a tale of how any character in TCW can be corrupted by war. It is also a tale of Forgiveness.

A Dark Gift for Palpatine

by Lordhadrian

 

It was the same dream, over and over. Barriss Offee had remained in her prison cell for a week, after confessing to heinous crimes of treason, betrayal, sabotage and murder.

She had remained without emotion, except for thinking back on the trial, and the dream she kept having. Was it a vision? If it was, it filled her with dread.

Every night, the dream felt cold, like an artificial death, and black like an evil skin. She could hear a sort of lifeless machinery going on, a terrible breathing noise, and a scream that was female.

Every night the dream ended in the same dreadful way. The breathing, cold machines at work, and the blackness with a shape. A female shape that was clawing from the void, with a brief scream silenced forever. And a voice that said one phrase over and over. "Still alive." Was this to be her future?

She would wake from the dream with a small gasp, feeling claustrophobic, gasping for air, and feeling the cold, the blackness, the evil breathing.

The cell door opened, and Tarkin walked in with a superior smirk. Behind him were a gaggle of syncophants and clone troopers.

"So, Jedi Offee, are you prepared for final judgement?" he held a haughty grin. A polite cough came from behind him, from an elegantly dressed blue skinned man. Baron Papanoida.

"You have not told her yet?" The Baron pressed his hands together with anticipation.

Barriss did not look at them for several seconds. She sighed to herself and stood up and faced Tarkin. "I am ready."

"Splendid." Tarkin waved his hand, inviting her to walk with him. She marched quickly, but noted they were surrounded by troopers.

"Do not be in such a hurry to your own destiny." Tarkin smirked "Today should be savored like a fine wine, wouldn't you say, Papanoida?"

"Indeed." The Baron smiled and snapped his fingers. A servant brought up a tray with a shimmering gold bottle and two glasses. Keeping up with them without the tray wavering in the slightest, the servant stayed by the Baron's side and waited.

Barriss grew anxious. She sensed the smugness of everyone in the group, all looking forward to today like it was a parade, a birthday celebration. None of them understood that she was sacrificing herself for a noble cause. Though, even now, she pondered the heavy price for the message she tried to get out to Chancellor Palpatine.

They walked by large windows overlooking the city. It was snowing. The white covered much of the skyscrapers of Coruscant, giving it such a peaceful look.

"Such a beautiful day..." she whispered to herself.

Tarkin and Papanoida heard her quiet compliment to the natural beauty that settled on Coruscant. "It's the Feast of Life Day, the Wookie Holiday has been officially accepted by the Chancellor to be celebrated throughout the noble Republic." Tarkin smiled at the irony. "How appropriate for you to be punished today!"

"There is no need to mock me, Commander. I have accepted my fate and the sacrifice I have made to help do my part for the Republic...."

The chuckles behind her were not encouraging. Tarkin smiled condescendingly. "Your sacrifice has all but ensured the war will go on, my dear. You have made me a happy man with your deeds. You have not only emboldened us to greater fervor to fight the Separatists and all manner of treason, you have completely erased any lasting influence the Jedi can ever have on the politics of the Republic!"

Barriss stopped and faced him with an aggressive face. "No!" She snapped "My efforts were to stop the corruption of the Jedi! To SAVE them from the war and to bring the conflict closer to an end!"

Tarkin was not moved nor intimidated by the small Jedi. "Your actions have nullified the Jedi Council as a bunch of hooligans in the eyes of the Senate and the public. But then, that was what you wanted all along. The hostilities of war have only increased. You have created hostility for all Mirialans everywhere, you have increased riots against Jedi policy, and Captain Rex has had to turn away hundreds of clone volunteers that so dearly wanted to be on the firing squad that would splatter your brains across the compound. I could scarcely contain my own excitement when I signed the papers releasing you from the Jedi into our capable hands. Whatever your intentions, Whether it were to be you or Ahsoka, I still get what I want...."

Tarkin's smirking words stunned her into silence. Barriss walked on, defiant. "Charming, to the last...." he smiled.

They marched to the exit that would take her to the compound to face final judgement, but Tarkin grabbed her shoulder. "No, this way." He pointed to a dark staircase.

"What is going on?" Barriss looked at him.

"While you have been sentenced, there is a change in the method."

"What do you mean?" Barriss furled her brow. She sensed dark amusement from all of them except the troopers.

Baron Papanoida explained. "Today is life Day, and part of the tradition of Life Day is the joy of giving gifts. Commander Tarkin and I will be creating a surprise gift for our Illustrious Chancellor. A gift involving you....."

What could the Chancellor want with me? Barriss pondered. Did he understand her message after all? Would he help end the corruption in the Jedi? Perhaps she misjudged Tarkin and the others. Perhaps there was still hope for Justice. Then it would all have been worth the struggle and the pain.

They entered a factory-style facility, a dark processing room with a contraption in the center.

The machinery made noises similar to the noises of Barriss' dream. She looked around and saw a hole in the center of the room. It was a carbonite freezing chamber.

"What is this!?" Barriss turned swiftly to them. She had a sense of urgency in her voice.

Baron Papanoida poured wine into two glasses, giving one to Tarkin. "The nature of the gift we want to give to Chancellor Palpatine....is art. I am quite the art lover, and I have seen many possibilities with this contraption..."

Barriss listened with a rising dread within her as the Baron calmly explained. The carbonite freezer hissed and belted steam, like it was breathing. The dim lighting also gave Barriss a sense of danger, seeing shadows and the skull like expressions of the stormtroopers everywhere in the darkness.

It was a trap. At best, it was to be the chosen method of execution, but Papanoida did not make it sound like one as he elaborated with dramatic gestures.

"See, under normal conditions, this is just a processing machine that helps transport a product, a drab, common product sold to other factory facilities that use carbonite in their manufacturing. But I have seen the potential for beauty..."

He pulled up a hologram of several figures frozen in carbon. "As you can see, I am starting a collection, to be sold to the wealthy for all sorts of decorations and occasions."

Barriss' expression changed to revulsion and horror as she recognized several Jedi. "Nadar! Master Gallia! Master Ima Gun Di!" She looked at them, almost shaking. "You.....you're a bunch of MONSTERS! The Chancellor will not stand for this! There is no way this can be legal!"

Papanoida looked at her sternly "I have made it legal. Or rather, you have made it legal with your actions. Now, I am not so heartless. These subjects all were killed in action, and for a good mercenary sum of money, I have recovered their forms to fulfill a dream in frozen art, forever shaped and carved in carbon for the enjoyment of those who wish to own a piece of history. Thanks to you, the Jedi will fall and be disbanded, relegated to a small chapter in the history of the Republic. Because of you, the Jedi are doomed, but I intend to save their legacy for countless generations."

"No!" Barriss jumped away, a momentary attempt to escape, to run from the unforeseen consequences of her actions.

Tarkin shook his head as she hesitated. "Be reasonable, Jedi Offee. You know escape is impossible. I mean, you're no Ahsoka Tano." he chuckled slightly, and so did a few of the servants behind him. The troopers remained still as statues.

A grim horror fell on her face. "But....the corruption must be fixed! Justice! What about Justice for the Republic?? That's what the Chancellor wanted....that's what...I was trying to show.....Tarkin....Papanoida....how is this justice? How can you....think to do this?"

 

"Believe" by Elton John: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABSXJiYQFuI 

 

For a moment, Tarkin looked at her with sympathy, but it was a mockery of any feelings a person could have as he walked towards her, the cold echo of his boots on the ramp going towards the carbon processing pit.

Barriss now noticed how much a towering figure he was in the dim red lights.

"My dear Jedi Offee, I assure you justice is being served. Your message to the chancellor is about to be immortalized. You will make a fine gift for his office in the Senate building. And your frozen presence will serve as a reminder to Master Windu and Yoda that they have become.....irrelevant."

Papanoida concurred "Justice was what you wanted against the Jedi. You said so yourself. Now, we can either martyr you in more direct ways, or....we can let you make the ultimate statement against the Jedi. The Senate, The Chancellor, the people of Coruscant will see this as a message, but also an exquisite sculpture. Only Myself, Tarkin and Palpatine will know it is you in the block of carbon. To everyone else, your form will be....a tribute to the justice of Jedi Barriss Offee."

Tarkin signaled the guards to step forward, motioning her to stand on the freezing platform.

"You should be honored, Barriss" Papanoida tried to comfort her "You will be the first live subject for this process. Think of it as a.....life sentence to community service."

Barriss' heart sank at the calm insanity from Tarkin and Papanoida. They felt genuinely that they were serving a greater purpose in this macabre display. She froze as the machine was prepped and hissed to life, making its breathing noises and letting out a cold steam that chilled her senses.

Tarkin gave one final parting shot. "Do not worry. we shall make examples of all your fellow Jedi. With time, you will share the wall with Master Unduli, Plo Koon and maybe even Ahsoka Tano. She is, after all, guilty by association. At least, you made sure she was almost punished in your place...."

Barriss turned away from him with a cold expression and marched to the platform. Her face turned from the others, allowing her to let the final stinger sink in. Tarkin had nearly broken her.

The freezing machine made one more loud his that startled her. She was never afraid of death, but a part of her began to hyperventilate. She could sense the claustrophobic space of the platform, the coldness, the suffocation she was about to endure. Frozen for all time, and the terror began to creep into her senses.

She closed her eyes to suppress the panic. How could it have come to this? Everything she stood for would become a parody in cold carbonite, a void of blackness to be mocked by the Chancellor. A humiliation.

One of the troopers gently grabbed her shoulder. Her body made a small jolt from the touch, expecting the brutality of the military that wanted her dead. But it was a surprisingly soft touch.

"Courage, Jedi." was all the trooper said, though Life Day must have been cold indeed. The trooper's voice sounded as if he were fighting an illness, a stuffy nose perhaps. But she felt a sincere kindness from the trooper, a small attempt to keep her focused in the face of despair.

She stepped on the platform, shaking a little from the sudden cold. Everyone watched and waited from a distance except for the lone Trooper. She could almost look him eye to eye were it not for the bulky helmet.

"Does the condemned have any final words?" The trooper asked in a low tone. Barriss found it strangely odd the clone would even give a damn, let alone make it an intimately hushed question, as if he would be the only one.

Barriss closed her eyes and sighed "What difference does it make now? Tarkin got what he wanted, and I guess Palpatine will too. There are no words that I can have in this....I have brought the Jedi order to ruin..."

 

"You'd be surprised how much of a difference it can make. Sometimes, the right people will know..."

Barriss closed her eyes again, not in the mood for riddles. "If you should ever see Ahsoka Tano again, tell her......" Barriss choked back and felt her face scrunch a little.

She took a breath and recovered her calm composure. "Tell her she should have killed me when she had the chance. I have failed. She should have killed me.....You can also tell her I suffered greatly. That should....give her some compensation." Barriss closed her eyes and became still as a statue. She waited. The trooper looked at Tarkin and nodded.

"Let's move on" Tarkin smiled "We have a presentation to make to Palpatine tonight at the opera house. Everyone will love the new piece."

"Indeed" papanoida presses a button, lowering Barriss intio the pit. She kept her eyes closed and braced for it. Seconds felt like hours, waiting for it to just happen.

The machine blasted her with jets of cold and, in those seconds, was about to encase her body in the intense carbonite process. Barriss gasped and felt cold terror all around her. She felt the sensations of the vision, the cold blackness. And she screamed. It was over in seconds.

 

THE EN-

 

 

But Barriss could still move. And still hear noises all around her. Combat noises, some shouting. Blasterfire, and.....lightsabers?

She could sense the platform rise, but everything was pitch black, her breathing was difficult from the heavy carbonite fog around her.

"Still Alive!" A voice called out. Someone grabbed her and cradled her. She started shaking as the air around her got warmer.

"Just relax for a moment. You are free of the carbonite. You have a little bit of carbonite sickness." It was the Clone Trooper.

Barriss blinked and frowned "I can't see!" She whispered.

The trooper held her gently, still talking in that froggish voice. "Your eye sight will return in time."

Barriss began to calm down and breathe easy. She still had some disorientation. "Where am I?" she let her tingly numb hands gloss over the helmit, but it was just a solid mask. She tried looking around but was still seeing almost total blackness.

"We are under Tarkin's military compound" The soldier replied.

Barriss felt the mask again. "Who are you?"

"Someone who loves you."

The trooper took off the bulky helmit. It had been uncomfortable for Ahsoka to cram herself into the outfit and not draw suspicion. But the moment she spoke without the helmet....Barriss could feel warm, safe and yet terrified as well.

"Ahsoka...." Barriss could do nothing more except feel Ahsoka's face, her cheeks, and what felt like a smile. The smile came towards her and she felt a deep kiss from out of nowhere. A kiss that was a relief and yet undeserved.

Barriss melted for a second. Ahsoka caressed her face. "The greatest mistake I ever made was moving past my emotions. If I hadn't ignored them....things would be different now....for both of us...." Ahsoka smiled

"Why?" Barriss asked in desperation.

"Remember when you said I should have killed you? When you had the brain worms?" Ahsoka caressed her face and hands to help keep her warm. Barriss looked on blindly in anticipation of this new riddle. Ahsoka grinned and kissed her again "I didn't kill you then because....it was the right thing to do. I chose life for you. I CHOOSE life for you. I still believe in that especially today, after all we've been through...."

Ahsoka picked Barriss up and carried her out of the room. Tarkin, Papanoida and the others were mostly unconscious, or barely moving from the beating they received. Ahsoka looked back at Tarkin one last time as he slowly stood up and sneered at her. Ahsoka waved her hand and dumped Tarkin into the carbonite pit and activated the procedure. In moments, he was frozen solid, in a terrorized pose. The lights blinked on the carbonite statue.

"what was that?" Barriss asked.

Ahsoka carried her outside "No need to worry. Still alive." She glanced at Tarkin, who was enveloped by his own scheme, his own blackness.

Ahsoka carried Barriss outside, into the winter scene as it continued to fall gently on Coruscant.

"I can feel the snow. It's beautiful..." Barriss whispered.

Ahsoka walked towards a large ship, the Sophonisba. The pilot, Asajj Ventress, waved at her as she neared the ramp.

"It's Life Day, Barriss. This is the day we cherish the good in those we truly care about. Darkness cannot win when we believe in love. It's all we've got. Churches and Dictators, politics and papers.....everything crumbles sooner or later. But love.....well, I believe in that."

They boarded the ship. Ahsoka caressed Barriss closely and warmly. They would have a long road ahead, but they would share the burden together. The hatch closed as they embraced. Barriss and Ahsoka kissed one final time as they prepared to escape Coruscant withVentress helping them.

 

Never to return.


	2. The Greatest Journey of All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka Tano rescues Barriss Offee from a fate worse than death with the help of Asajj Ventress. But the path of redemption is a long one, and Barriss soon realizes that the Force has cut all ties with her.
> 
> Landing on the planet of Byss for supplies, Barriss decides to exile herself in meditation over her crimes against Ahsoka and the Temple.
> 
> Meanwhile, Tarkin, still reeling from a humiliating experience, informs Clone Troops under Captain Fin on Byss to capture Asajj and Ahsoka. He initiates order 66 in a bold, arrogant moment, and demands their execution.
> 
> Can Barriss, now unable to use the Force, find the courage to rescue Asajj and Ahsoka? Can true love defy incredible odds? Can the love of Ahsoka Tano ad Barriss Offee succeed in the Greatest Journey of all?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note, this story was written before the events of season 6, and goes under the long held assumption that Clone Troops had free will to follow Order 66, so Tarkin uses it ahead of schedule in a fit of arrogance.

The Greatest Journey of all

by

Lordhadrian

 

The Sophy had been in flight for a few days now. Ahsoka had just rescued Barriss from the clutches of Commander Tarkin. She was about to be frozen in carbonite, a dark trophy to be used in a complicated political game between Palpatine and the Jedi.

Ahsoka had disrupted the scheme. Disguising herself as a clone trooper and infiltrating the group. It wasn't the first time she had slipped past the Republic soldiers.

Why did she do it? After a harsh betrayal....after a humiliation and disgrace put upon her, she had nothing to lose when she walked away from Anakin and the Council.

Why go back to rescue a traitor? A murderer?

Because Love cannot be explained, and should not be explained. The feelings Barriss and Ahsoka had felt were shuffled away in the dark corners of their hearts and minds, but it took a jolt to finally free those emotions, finally move past the denial they had both put in place. Ahsoka returned to free Barriss from a terrible punishment, from falling into darkness.

It was a love that had defied duty, fate, and the very nature of the Force. But it was not without complications of its own.

Today, as Ventress piloted the ship, Barriss and Ahsoka had started off the morning with cranky retorts and silent treatment. Both of them felt awkward and that the situation was unusual and there were still loose ends that neither wanted to face.

Barriss sat at the small dinner table, toying with her food.

Ahsoka sat in her small makeshift bedroom and fidgeted. There were things that needed to be said, because not all romances ended with a fairytale kiss and a walk into the sunset hand in hand.

Ahsoka sighed and went to the kitchen to get some milk. Barriss turned and saw her. They both felt a little awkward.

"We're out of milk. I guess Ventress didn't anticipate carrying us around." Barriss went back to playing with her food.

Ahsoka sensed bad vibes and leaned against the fridge, looking at her. "How much longer are we going to do this to each other?" She asked, a little frustrated.

Barriss didn't turn around. "You know, I actually had to look to see who was in the kitchen. I could not tell....I could not sense...."

"What does that have to do with-" Ahsoka shrugged, but Barriss cut her off.

"-It has everything to do with this! With us!" Barriss threw her spoon away, into a corner of the kitchen. She held out her hand and stretched her fingers towards it.

Ahsoka sighed "What are you doing, Barriss?" she started rolling her eyes, then realized what was going on.

"I've been cut off from the Force." Barriss answered quietly. "I'm done. Finished. I guess the Force will also punish me for my sins. I spent all morning just trying to lift a spoon from the table. I couldn't do it...."

Ahsoka realized the devastating effect this had on Barriss. Her turn to dark acts and betrayal had consequences, not just in society and the Jedi order, but with the nature of the Force itself.

"Maybe it's temporary. Look at Asajj. She was a dark Jedi and she can still use the Force-"

"-Ahsoka, don't you see? It is final judgement. I know I should be grateful to be alive, and forgiven. Forgiven by you. That's more than I could ever hope for. I should have expected this."

Barriss held out a light saber given to her by Ventress and handled it. "In the hands of a Jedi, this is a skill, a discipline and a symbol of the good we could do in the troubled galaxy. For me to handle a light saber again....it's now an empty experience, a glorified welding tool."

"Barriss....I don't know what to say. I don't know how to help you. I was never prepared for something like this..." Ahsoka threw her hands up in resignation.

"I know..." Barriss replied quietly.

Ventress walked out to grab something to eat. She looked at the two of them cautiously, and was not about to get mixed up in the quarrel.

"We are landing for supplies on Byss. I think you two need some fresh air. We are going to be calling this ship home for a while until we find a nice, out of the way place to live."

Ahsoka and Barriss frowned and glanced at Ventress. Neither wanted to draw her into their discussion. But Ventress wasn't oblivious to it.

"If you two don't figure this out, one of you is heading for a disaster. Maybe both of you. You have to come to terms with who you both are now."

"I don't know how." Barriss looks at her, needing advice. "The Jedi way was all I have known."

Ventress pulled no punches. "Barriss, you chose to abandon those values, and now the Force has seen fit to withdraw from you. Ahsoka, you have also made choices to abandon the Jedi, and you made the bold choice to save Barriss from punishment she probably deserved. We are all fugitives, and While I am used to it, I cannot have you two going through this ice cream emotional bantha ride. Your tear soaked girl angst is going to get us all killed if you two don't figure this out!"

Barriss sighed "She's right. I have become a liability."

"Would you stop talking like that! You will be fine. I'm sure many Jedi have had hiccups like this. You can't give up now!" Ahsoka tried to reason with her as Ventress went to land the ship properly.

But Barriss stopped listening and turned to Ahsoka. "You have always been my friend, Ahsoka. My best friend."

"That's it?" Ahsoka looked at her with a despair. She suspected Barriss was calling it quits on everything.

"I must go and meditate on my crimes, and contemplate my place in the galaxy. The Force is no longer here to guide me. I must....go. Please, this is something I have to do."

The ship landed and Barriss exited down the extended gangplank off the ship.

"I will wait." Ahsoka whispered.

Barriss froze at the words, but could not bring herself to face Ahsoka. "I will always remember what we...." She hesitated to finish the thought, then walked away. Ahsoka watched from the ship.

 

 

Tarkin was looking over some maps and scheduled Jedi departures from Coruscant, constantly calculating. Baron Papanoida was in the command center with him, looking over intel reports on the Separatist movements and strategies.

A signal interrupted their thoughts. "This is Captain Oil Fin of Byss station. We have reason to believe the rogue Jedi Ahsoka Tano has been seen planetside. We suspect she and Ventress are making a supply run."

Tarkin's eyebrow raised, his curiosity piqued. "What of the Jedi Barriss Offee? Is she with Tano?"

"Negative sir, though she may have slipped by our eyes on the street. We will double our efforts to find her!"

"Hold your positions." Tarkin had an opportunity for revenge. The humiliation he suffered when Ahsoka plunged him into the carbonite freezer has made him hunger for retaliation against all Jedi but against Ahsoka in particular. Why she rescued the traitor was still a mystery, an unexpected move. His cold calculations could not figure in any gain, unless there was a reward and Ahsoka made off with a fortune in credits for Barriss' head.

"This is an opportunity, I think" Papanoida was eager to see justice prevail.

"More than an opportunity, this is a chance to test our best contingency plan...." Tarkin smiled.

"What Contingency plan?" The Baron looked at him, and pessed his hands together in anticipation.

 

Barriss had found a small shrine at the top of a hill decorated with gorgeous flower beds. It was the perfect spot to meditate. It was, at the very least, a decent place to spend the rest of her life trying to seek the wisdom of the Force even though it had left her. She could not levitate, could not sense anything. The world felt flat and dead around her except for the tranquility of the shrine. She looked at the light saber Ventress had given her. "How can I even think to call myself a Jedi any more. This saber.....I can weld it, but it feels like a dead weight, a formality. Have I sinned so great that all that I was and ever could be is gone forever? Ahsoka.....what could have been....all my decisions have brought me to greater despair and ruin."

 

She notice a platoon of 30 troops led by a Clone Captain marching past. She kept her hood down and did not move. The clones were so focused, they did not notice her near the shrine entrance.

Oil Fin got another message from Tarkin. "Captain Fin, the time has come. Execute Order 66 on the Rogue Ahsoka Tano, and if possible, the traitor Barriss Offee!"

Captain Fin's expression was hidden under his helmet, but the glee in his voice could not be contained. "I've waited a long time to hear those three words, sir!"

"Make sure Tano suffers before you finish the business." Tarkin concludes.

"Yes sir. Hallelujah!" Captain Fin and his troops make their move.

"Hallelujah, indeed." Tarkin says quietly from the command center.

 

"Hallelujah" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSJbYWPEaxw

 

Barriss was frozen, hesitating. what can she do? She had to stop them! But how? She had no powers, and did not know how to commune with the Force to recover her former position as a Jedi. But she felt something deep down, every time she heard Ahsoka's name, every time she thought of the uncertain future that was about to take place. Did Destiny abandon her like the Force? Was she able to make the one choice she could not make when she was a Jedi?

She ran. If there was any chance left to write the future....now was the time.

Barriss reached the square of the quaint little town that they landed at. Captain Fin had captured Ventress and Ahsoka. Ventress had been forcibly pinned on her knees by two troopers. Fin was enjoying making an example of Ahsoka in front of the towns people, slapping her face from side to side while listing her crimes against the Republic.

Ahsoka was bleeding from the mouth, but put up a brave face and resisted calling out in pain. She saw Barriss, and shook her head subtlety. Barriss' face became filled with rage.

"HEY!" Barriss walked straight up to Captain Fin.

The Clone commander smiled "Barriss Offee. You've made me a very happy man today!"

In a blur that surprised everyone. Barriss broke into a quick sprint and a roundhouse kick, connecting with Fin's face. The troops aimed their guns defensively as Fin stumbled a couple steps back in shock.

"Next, I'll make you a dead one!" She activated her saber and charged. Fin dove for cover, but was not her original target. She ran at the guards holding Ahsoka. Even without Jedi powers she was still formidable with her skills and agility. She knocked away the two guards.

Ahsoka quickly reacted and pulled her own saber. Back to back, they started deflecting shots from the rest of the platoon. Having underestimated the two young women, the troops now had a hard fight on their hands as Ahsoka and Barriss deflected shots back at several soldiers.

Ventress, sensing a chance, broke free of her guards as they were hit by deflected shots.

She ran behind several old food carts, deserted by vendors who ran for cover. Some troopers tried to shoot her as she ran, but she was too quick.

"On your left!" Barriss shouted at Ahsoka. A trooper fired from cover, but the Togruta blocked it at the last second. "You did it! I thought you lost your Jedi skills!"

Barriss smiled and was about to answer, when Fin good a lucky shot in behind her. It was a shoulder wound, but the shock on her face, sent Ahsoka into a fearful panic.

"BARRISS!" They looked into each others eyes for a second, in a heartstopping moment where both had contemplated a true death, a separation from each other forever. Barriss recovered quickly. She turned and threw her saber, impaling Captain Oil Fin through the chest.

Fin grimaced, and looked at her with undying hatred as he staggered back. "Run while you can! The Jedi are finished, and my brothers shall avenge me....Hallelujah..."

"It's a cold and broken Hallelujah for you, Captain. You have failed." Barriss stared at him until he completely collapsed and died.

When Barriss was certain all the guards had been eliminated, she finally fell to her knees, weakened by the shot.

"Barriss, NO!!" Ahsoka called to her, and ran up to her and also got on her knees.

Barriss felt a warmth in Ahsoka's expression. Her heart felt like it had the strength of 20 Jedi to carry on as Ahsoka embraced her.

"It's just a minor wound, though I may need some bandages if I cannot use my healing powers....." She looked down.

"I don't care if you have Jedi powers or not. I don't care if the Force ever returns. I am glad to see you. You saved me without Jedi powers...and that shows you are stronger than you realize."

Ventress watched as they embraced closely. She kept an eye out for any danger, but only scared townspeople were left watching the two women.

"I thought I was doing the right thing to leave you" Barriss whispered "Now I know our destinies are in some way intertwined. I could not leave you to such a fate. Tarkin called it Order 66....the end of all things. Why were you out here, anyway!? I thought you were just getting supplies."

Ahsoka blushed and looked down. Barriss started to sense something Ahsoka was not saying.

"I wanted to explore, get my head clear. All I could think of was how helpless I felt when you left. I saw a tattoo shop, and knew what I truly wanted. They specialize in Mirialan artwork, you see.....Barriss, I...."

Ahsoka looked tense and scared and slowly held up her hand for Barriss to see. "I told you I would wait.....for you. I meant it. Not just wait while you meditated."

The pattern Ahsoka had put on her hand. Barriss recognized it, and gasped. Her face contorted with relief, happiness, and some trepidation. It was an engagement tattoo. Barriss used all her remaining discipline to hold back the emotions like a damn against the flood.

"They say this sign means I am with my special someone, no matter where we are, no matter how far apart, no matter what has happened.....I would wait until-"

It did not take long for Barriss to give her silent answer. In her excitement, she now realized they were destined to be together forever. Barriss kissed her with all the energy she could muster, accepting Ahsoka's gift. A door opened to a new journey for both of them, the greatest journey of all. The final journey they would ever want to make.

Barriss and Ahsoka started feeling light headed as the kiss continued. they suddenly realized they were levitating in their embrace.

Ahsoka smiled "You did it. You have your powers!"

Barriss just shook her head and smiled as she caressed Ahsoka's face. the love in her heart almost exploded with realization. "No. It is not just my powers. It's US."


	3. The Last Cold Day in Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka Tano, Barriss Offee and Asajj Ventress have escaped to Pantera with the help of Senator Riyu Chuchi and a former Separatist named Conradin Hadranus.
> 
> Barriss Offee and Ahsoka Tano, now married in the eyes of the Force itself, take this time to celebrate their love and try to enjoy a honeymoon adventure.
> 
>  
> 
> However, Baron Papanoida realizes the rogue Jedi are on his homeworld, and sends troops with Master Plo Koon with intent capture them. Unbeknownst to Plo koon and the Clone Troops, Papanoida also secretly sends the villainous Bounty Hunter Cad Bane to execute the traitors in the confusion.
> 
> It is a harrowing adventure, and once again, only a miracle can save Ahsoka, Barriss and their friends from a fiendish plot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The opening Journal by Conradin Hadranus is inspired by the monologue from "Oblivion" starring Tom Cruise
> 
> Conradin Hadranus is an OC that I have written for other Star Wars adventures. He was a Separatist under Dooku's command and has had a friendship with Barriss Offee (and has feelings for her that she could not, as a Jedi, fully reciprocate) in several of my stories. His inclusion here contains references to others stories, so I hope there is not much confusion over who he is and what he does in this story.
> 
> There is a reference to the battle of Drongar here that comes into play, and once I post more of my Star Wars stories (should readers choose to explore them), the references in this chapter will be made clear.
> 
> Word of warning, there is mature content. It is tastefully done and not explicit. But I wanted to explore a sense of intimacy between Ahsoka and Barriss, and this is not meant to offend or change the nature of the story.
> 
> Also word of warning, some may not like the nature of this story because I changed the nature of certain characters. This is just my fanciful experiment, and not meant to offend anyone.

 

 

The Last Cold Day in Hell

 

by Lordhadrian

 

 

Many Years had passed, since I first saw your face  
On that fateful day in the Arena.

Now, in these dark times, I wonder if I come to you at night, in dreams,  
or in the day, as memories.

Do I haunt your hours  
in the way you haunted mine?

And I wonder if you see me when you look at her.

If we have souls, they are made of the love we share.

Undimmed by time. Unbound by Death.

After all these years, I will see you again,  
and in that moment, I know I am home.

~From the Journal of Conradin Hadranus.

 

Ventress' ship touched down quietly in the spaceport of Pantoran City in the middle of the night.

Ventress sighed and relaxed for a moment in her pilot's seat. For now, they were safe. It would only be a matter of time though, before the chase began again.

Asajj hit the intercom. "We're here. Gather your stuff."

Ventress had softened a little but never slacked off with the safety of all aboard. It was only Senator Chuchi's personal assurance of sanctuary that convinced the three of them to come to Pantora, if for only a short while.

Ahsoka and Barriss lay together on the small but comfortable mattress. a nice short nap. Ahsoka peeked one eye open at Ventress' announcement.

She smiled. The mattress was soft, built for two. She smiled at Barriss who slept by her side. She caressed her wife's soft olive cheek. Listening to her shallow breaths.

"Wake up. Time to go. Riyo's waiting." Barriss opened her eyes and smiled back. They kissed softly, grateful for every day that passed since that moment when all the rules and society's demands melted away.

They would be hunted, and cursed. A marriage and a love that was never meant to happen. But it was real, and they fought for it every day, and celebrated it every night in a language only lovers could decipher.

The trio gathered their things and exited the ship for more comfortable lodgings.

Two people were there to meet them. Riyo Chuchi smiled and tilted her head in a cute way as she smiled, happy even to see the grumpy, tired Ventress.

The other was Conradin Hadranus. He was perhaps filled with apprehension but also anticipation, having followed the exploits of the trio.

He smiled as he locked eyes with Barriss. Ahsoka hugged him and Riyo, tired but happy. Ahsoka was aware of his past friendship with Barriss, and knew he could be trusted while they stayed on Pantora.

Barriss hugged him warmly. "It's good to see you again." She smiled.

"You too. We have everything prepared at the consulate." He blushed a little as a small group of Chuchi's bodyguards came to escort them all.

"There is food waiting, my friends, and baths to freshen up..." Chuchi led the way.

Ventress' only thoughts were the hot shower and soft bed that awaited. She had grown used to Barriss and Ahsoka together for the past week since the confrontation with Captain Oil Fin and the Clones on Byss.

It was a smack down that humiliated Tarkin and Palpatine in the eyes of the Republic and the Senate, and made the Jedi look equally embarrassed.

While Ventress was slow to warm up to them living together, there were no major problems. Ahsoka and Barriss might have the momentary couples quarrel, but Ventress' only concern was the lack of privacy and close living on her ship. When she saw the two lovers get that certain "expression", she made sure to be in the cockpit for a few hours to avoid any discomfort.

Conradin watched as Barriss and Ahsoka walked ahead, holding hands. It was a moment of envy for him, but he was truly happy for them both. He also realized things could have ended very differently, for everyone. Destiny had given them all a second chance.

 

As the night grew dark, the glow of Ordo Plutonia lit threw the windows of the sanctuary. Ahsoka and Barriss settled in their things, but were not too tired thanks to their nap on the ship.

They tiptoed down to the swimming pool, a luxury for guests of the assembly. Barriss gasped and marveled at the brightness of the blue water. Plutonia's glow reflected off of it, giving it the brightness of a flowing liquid diamond.

"Beautiful night..." Ahsoka quietly wrapped her arms around Barriss with tender care, purring in her ear. "....it looks so refreshing." she whispered.

Ahsoka's hands gently glided up and down Barriss' body, giving her tingling anticipations for how the night would progress.

Barriss blushed. Their private marriage, witnessed only by Ventress and the living will of the Force, was but a week old. The two unleashed the floodgates of repressed feelings and emotions in this quiet moment. Every day was a New Hope for their love to survive, and every night was a chance to express that love.

At first, they were clumsy virgins, scared and hesitant and unsure as they celebrated their intimacy. It was an awkward funny experience, but filled with adventure and thrills.

Each night after was a time of exploration, and boldness. They became more comfortable, realized all the secrets of life that they could not see when they were still Jedi, and built a new kind of trust in their intimacy.

Now, by the pool, they stood and were hypnotized by its alluring coolness, its sparkling purity.

Barriss still blushed in modesty, and could feel Ahsoka shedding all defenses behind her, until all the Togruta had left was her blue striped panties, a garment that lovingly clung to Ahsoka in all the right ways. Barriss stayed modest and did not sneak any peeks at her partner.

Ahsoka pulled back her black hood and let her small fangs drift across Offee's shoulder and neck, sending chills and small noises echoing through her as she too was slowly made defenseless by the slow hands that untied and unzipped the Mirialan from every which way possible.

Barriss' breathless whispers echoed in the dark.

Ahsoka pulled off Barriss' cap and they giggled as Ahsoka caressed her hair. Such gorgeous, wild hair that as always confined in its stoic prison.

Barriss stiffened a little as Ahsoka gently grasped her smooth breasts, still uptight, shivering a little, goosebumps coming alive all over her body. Barriss' breathing got faster.

Ahsoka kissed her neck a little more aggressively, then faced her. They locked eyes and they pressed together for a brief kiss that sent a fire through them both.

Barriss let her greedy hands grab all around Ahsoka, grabbing at soft flesh that felt electrified by their foreplay. Both were engaged completely in each other, vulnerable yet safe.

Ahsoka grinned and plummeted backwards into the water, letting Barriss see her in all her glory. Arching her body in the water, Ahsoka swam in such a way to make Barriss feel the growing fire within her, to make her heart beat fast with anticipation.

It was the lust of youth, but it was also pure, and just innocent enough that they felt immortal.

Barriss tip toed to the edge and jumped in, plunging below. She surfaced with a gleeful squeal at how cool the water was, but then dove deeper in her quest. She swam to Ahsoka in the center of the pool and they embraced.

They became the perfect storm, sending waves to every edge of the pool with heat that was not nearly extinguished in the diamond waters.

Bobbing up and down, they became reckless, whimpering each others names and splashing a little more enthusiastically.

They wrestled up on the edge of the pool, laying together on smooth marble.

Barriss lay on the marble first, and gasped for breath, leaving her body vulnerable, a buffet of delights for Ahsoka. Ahsoka crawled like a beast to her, with a gentle technique.

It was not just about sex. It was about trust and the love that motivated Ahsoka's exploring kisses. They now practiced the rituals of nature, possessed by animal spirits.

The night ended for them after a time, deep in the shadows away from the bright water, with two frantic forms engaged in every imagined kind of body geometry that built their fire like a volcano ready to erupt.

The final animal moon of desire flashed through them both with exhilarating tidal waves that could not be described, only felt.

With loud gasps and clutching hands that almost left love bruises, the two finally collapsed as their thunderstorm waned, though they both caressed each other in a softer conclusion, until they could no longer find the strength to move.

In that moment, the galaxy felt perfect.

 

It was also night time on Coruscant, where secret meetings of a different nature took place.

Plo Koon walked towards the elevator to meet Commander Tarkin and the good Baron Papanoida. It was no coincidence that he also ran into Commander Wolffe

"Master Jedi" Wolffe bowed slightly. Plo Koon bowed respectively but remained rather quiet. Today was not a day for pleasantries. Today, Plo Koon may be sent on the most horrible mission his heavy heart could ever imagine.

They rode the elevator to Papanoida's office. Outside the door they could hear a scolding voice. It sounded like Palpatine, but they weren't sure. After a moment, they were allowed to enter.

Tarkin was exiting past them, and he was not happy. The scowl on his face was mostly from a private conference with Papanoida at the communication table. Plo Koon surmised they must have finished talking to the Chancellor, probably dealing with the nature of Plo Koon's mission.

Tarkin shared some of his scowl with Plo, and muttered something rather uncomplimentary towards Jedi in general.

Papanoida went to sit at his desk in his office. He glided a hand across his smooth new desk, carved from the highly demanded wood of rare trees from Naboo.

He was very proud of his new office, and being promoted to Palpatine's true inner circle as head of the new Intelligence Firm. His position was necessary. Current events with rogue Jedi demanded that new measures be taken to counter these new threats.

"Commander Wolffe, Master Plo Koon" he greeted courteously but without distracting small talk. He meant to get down to business.

"Sir" Wolffe replied. Plo bowed but felt uneasy.

"My agents have been hunting the rogues, Ahsoka Tano and Barriss Offee, who have been assisted by the war criminal Asajj Ventress. You are both aware of the nature of their crimes and the resistance they have displayed to the law and order of the Republic and their own Jedi."

Papanoida gave Plo Koon a weary look, hinting on disappointment. Plo ignored it. He had been subjected to such looks in the past week. He had gotten used to this current attitude. The very demeanor of the Palpatine regime had changed and Jedi were not treated as the heroes they once were under a more benevolent time.

Plo Koon had felt more and more as if the Jedi were puppets in this new heaviness that hung in the Republic, and that somewhere some malevolent force was having a jest at his expense.

"We believe we have found these malcontents on Pantora. It is also with sadness that Senator Riyo Chuchi is helping them. Go, take your troops and capture them before they provide even more embarrassment to the Republic."

All of them recall that Ahsoka and Barriss were attacked on Byss by the crazed clone Captain Oil Fin, though only Tarkin and Papanoida are aware of implementing the dark conspiracy shared with Fin, Order 66. Wolffe suspected but said nothing. It was best to not give away any protocols with a Jedi in the room.

Barriss, Asajj and Ahsoka defeated Clones conspirators on Byss, killing Fin and creating a debacle that spread through the Republic. There were greater scandals to be sure, but the chase for the traitor Barriss and rogue Jedi Ahsoka Tano and Separatist war criminal Ventress had escalated.

Palpatine's reputation was now on the line and the Senate was watching carefully to see if the war had started to break his resolve.

Palpatine was as strong and resolute as ever, but rumors and perceptions now risked destroying his reputation, and Ahsoka's defiance to everything jeopardized his ability to rule. And it jeopardized Papanoida's precarious position on Coruscant, and perhaps even on Pantora.

"Take your troops, and stop them! Master Plo Koon, I want them brought back to face trial."

He waved them off to be dismissed.

 

The Baron watched the entrance as they left and stood in contemplation, until another voice interrupted his thoughts.

"So, you have a Jedi and an army chasing Ms Tano and her friends? What do you need me to do?"

Cad Bane, having listened in the shadows, walked casually up to the Baron and put his hands on his hips with curiosity.

"You are the onion rings at the bottom of the bag." Papanoida smirked. He turned to Bane. "You are the last layer to this scheme and, most importantly, you will help make a political statement for the Republic."

Cad almost snorted at the idealistic drivel he heard, but listened further. The Baron was no idealist, and his patriotic words carried a deeper, more sinister motive.

 

Papanoida pulled out a device from his desk. It looked like a syringe. "I suggest you treat this with great care."

Cad had a slightly alarmed look "Is that what I think it is?"

"It's called poetic justice." Papanoida looked at him bluntly.

"The syringe will inject enough nanobots to do the job. Ahsoka is wanted for trial, but the others are already guilty. When you inject it into Barriss, you will have 3 minutes to get clear of the area. This is a gift, for Tarkin, and I want to think of it as payback for Captain Oil Fin. Plus, Barriss and Ahsoka are presenting a problem to the Chancellor's image. There is a lot of sympathy for them in the Senate and on various worlds across the Republic."

"Your politics do not interest me." Cad responded with a bored tone.

The Baron furled his brow. "Everyone loves an underdog, and Barriss and Ahsoka are striking a symbolic blow against the status quo, against carefully prepared propaganda."

While Cad was not entirely interested in listening to the rant, the Baron was releasing a frustration and the pay was good enough Bane simply waited for Papanoida to finish.

"Freezing Tarkin in Carbonite made us look like fools in the media, and defeating Clones on Byss, a PR nightmare. Some people are calling them heroes who are protesting the war, and the Chancellor's powers."

Papanoida carefully put the syringe in Cad Bane's hand. "Barriss is becoming a people's champion, and even the media is forgetting her crimes at the Jedi temple. The fickle news media!. Killing her with the nanobots will remind the common folk why they NEED US! To protect them from the enemy, terrorists, and rogue Jedi. Ahsoka will be executed in an official way and Palpatine's reputation as a leader for 'true Democracy' will be celebrated once again."

There was a moment of silence.

"The only democracy I celebrate is in your pocketbook. Are we finished?" Cad Bane accepted the syringe, but looked the Baron over in a new light. There was certainly a side to him nobody in the social community had ever seen, and Papanoida made sure they never would know that such a darkness in his heart existed.

"Best of luck, Mr Bane."

Cad disappeared into the shadows as swiftly as he entered. A job was a job.

 

Meanwhile, on Pantora, Ahsoka and Barriss walked the sights of the sunny capital, guided by the energetic Senator Chuchi. All worries and concerns were forgotten for a day, though they stayed covered in their cloaks.

They continued to hold hands discreetly during the tour of the city, but noticed the occasional wanted poster that showed on big screens at various establishments. The Republic continued to hunt for them, though for now most people ignored it as more dull war propaganda.

"This is a wonderful place, Riyo!" Ahsoka marveled at the city buildings and grand statues, several were of Chairman Papanoida.

"The Baron has turned Pantora into such a paradise despite the war and the Separatist attempts to conquer it." Barriss observed.

Chuchi smiled quietly, but held back a response.

Barriss stopped by a fountain that sprayed beautiful water patterns 20 feet in the air.

"It's marvelous!" She tossed a small coin in the fountain.

"Are you making a wish?" Ahsoka wrapped her arms around Barriss' waist "I didn't think you believed in that kind of thing."

Barriss almost giggled and held Ahsoka's hands. As young lovers, they were still enjoying their new emotions, still feeling wild and free and could barely contain their excitement.

She leaned back and kissed Ahsoka, both of them gasping a little and relishing the public display for a second.

A few people walking by could not help but notice the kissing, and that they were both women. Most walked on to avoid staring, but a few looked at them with a bit of shock.

Pantora under the Baron's administration did not take kindly to activities that were considered....deviant.

Riyu blushed a little "There is a nice cafe over in the square. I was hoping we could share in a vintage coffee."

Ahsoka and Barriss broke away from the kissing that was becoming a little heavier. They smiled, but still felt greedy for life.

"I think coffee is a wonderful idea!" Barriss blushed as she stared at Ahsoka.

Riyu walked between them "I....don't wish to intrude upon your happiness. I know how you both feel and I know you are so deeply in love, but....I must warn you Pantora lives by a strict set of rules. Rules that have been in place for centuries, and the Baron is no different in that regard than when Chi Cho watched over us with an iron fist."

"Are you saying Papanoida rules with an iron fist?" Barriss asked.

"Well....he wears a velvet glove when he does it. The Baron has been indulging more and more in his own self glorification, and his friendship with Jabba the Hutt has made him untouchable in Galactic events."

Chuchi kept a poker face and spoke quietly of things that might be considered unflattering.

Ahsoka remembered how she and Riyu helped the Baron rescue his kidnapped daughters, how the Baron easily moved about in Jabba's palace. Ahsoka realized how politics made for strange bedfellows indeed.

"Well, nobody knows we are here for now, so we will try not to draw attention." Ahsoka smiled politely, but she and Chuchi glanced at each other, a look in Chuchi's eyes that said "Please be careful, the people here do not approve of your love."

 

Conradin worked in the grand library of the consulate next to the Pantoran Assembly building. He was reading a book by a thin, decorative book stand. He looked up, sensing another presence in the vast library.

"A pleasure to finally meet you, Ion." Conradin turned to greet Papanoida's son.

Ion didn't smile, but bowed with a brief courtesy. "The Baron wishes to remind you that you are on Pantora by his grace and mercy. Sanctuary has been given, that you would not face Palpatine's wrath in the war crimes tribunal. Your fellow Separatists are being processed for trial now that the war is leaning against Dooku and the Confederacy council. My Father has made it clear you would one day be called to repay this debt."

Conradin frowned a little, but remained polite. Everything has been very business like between him and the Baron, despite Conradin's attempts at being amicable at every turn.

"So, I am to repay my debt. Of what service can I be to the Baron?" Conradin sensed ulterior motives, though Ion was never subtle like his father. Anyone could read Ion like a book. Still, the coldness in his face was equal inside him. The Chairman has been growing in power, which can almost be seen from orbit as Ion commissioned larger and larger statues of his father to dot the landscape and remind the citizens of the growing cult of personality.

"Our agents know that Riyu Chuchi is aiding wanted fugitives, dangerous rogue Jedi. You would do well to take caution around her."

Conradin kept his face still, the same he would in a tense game of Sabaac. Don't give away anything.

"So, you want me to....spy on her? Is that it? You want me to spy on one of your own?"

Ion continued. "What we need from you is simple observations, not the same as spying. My Father thought he could rely on Chuchi, but she has been spotted with the suspects, and we believe there may be a network of sympathizers."

 

Conradin smiled like an idiot and leaned on the book stand "Oooh, I love intrigue! All this spying around stuff makes me giddy! So, how do you and Father intend to catch the traitor Chuchi? She's probably a fugitive now, I suppose! What about the rogue Jedi Ahsoka and Barris? Maybe they've all escaped from Pantora and are right now running to some outer rim territory where you will never find them. Maybe they've slipped away out from under your nose!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Ion stepped back from Conradin's sudden act of foppishness "She is with the terrorists in the square right now, undeservedly enjoying the purity of Pantoran culture! But it won't be long now. Father is sending Master Plo Koon and the Wolf Pack to take care of business!"

"Then what do you need me for?" Conradin asked.

"They are still Jedi and must be put into a more compromising situation. We need you to get their light sabers and make sure they do not suspect a trap when our Clone troops move in. Go to the cafe and get them to come back here, where they will be isolated. We spring the trap tonight!"

Conrad smiled "What makes you think they will listen to me?"

Ion's face hardened even more "Wolffe's troops will be bringing a shuttle to take Ahsoka Tano away. If you fail in this one small favor, that shuttle will be taking you back to Coruscant to face trial instead."

Ion's words suddenly made the former Separatist take notice. "Just Ahsoka?"

"Your participation will be rewarded with a comfortable time spent here away from the politics of Coruscant, and from the shame of being executed in front of representatives of your home planet Achilleas!"

"Well, I'm your huckleberry." Conradin grinned. He acted more like a court goof than the battle hardened Separatist who had thwarted the Republic on more than a few occasions.

Ion does reveal any more info as he backs away. "Maybe you can lure them with a good book. We don't want bloodshed and violence in the streets."

Ion left, Conradin went behind a large shelf unit and pulled out his com link, which he activated during the conversation. Chuchi was on the other line, having listened with a grave expression.

"It would seem....I have outlived my usefulness to Chairman Papanoida." Chuchi sighed. Ahsoka appeared next to her.

"We need to leave, fast. Those Clone Troops will be here very soon!"

"They might be able to follow us, though, if we try to escape. The Baron's agents are watching us at every turn. We'll never make it off the planet without them stopping us!" Barriss commented.

Conradin leaned in to his communicator "Leave that to me. I have a few cards left to play in this game, I'm going to call in a favor. It will be a long shot, but it might work. Just don't come here, they will be expecting you."

Riyo frowned "I'll contact Ventress and have the ship readied....but we may not have a choice but go to the Embassy. It will be the last sanctuary we will have, and it is a well defended building to hold them off."

"If my idea works, you won't HAVE to defend the building...."

 

Conradin marched off to make another call, to an old droid friend he has not seen since the battle of Drongar.

"R5? R5-D4, Are you there?" Conradin used his com link to contact his old droid companion, a beat up R5 unit that slipped through the cracks at the battle of Drongar and was on board the RSS Moenia, a Republic Venator class cruiser that held the line at Drongar.

R5 was doing a typical ship to ship diagnostics check on the clone fighters in the hangar bay when Conradin's signal.

"R5, I need your help and I need it fast!"

R5 beeped with enthusiasm to help his friend

"Remember the battle of Drongar? They stacked up all the droids on board the Moenia to be scrapped. Are they still there?"

R5 Twisted its head around and looked at various personnel wandering the hangar. Nobody paid attention to one astromech. R5 beeped positively, inquiring what Conradin needed.

"I need you to reboot the droids! Plug into the ships mainframe, connect to the storage units and try to reboot them. I know it may take a moment, they're older models, but this is a matter of life and death!"

R5 made louder whistling, beeping noises, and went to a terminal to connect into the system.

"Reboot the droids, Tell VGR-001 to take the ship! If he can get control, I need you to have the cruiser set coordinates to jump to Pantora. I need all the help I can get, R5!"

R5 whined quietly. Conradin sighed and fell silent for a second. "Yeah, little buddy. I have a bad feeling too. Like this is going to be one last ride for a lot of us.....look, R5, if this plan doesn't work, then get out of there. Don't let them scrap you too. Take care."

Conradin ended communication. He needed to balance the odds. Between him, Ahsoka, Barriss Asajj and Riyo, they were powerful and quick on their feet. But there was no besting Wolffe and his troops in the long run. They were outnumbered.

 

Chuchi, Ahsoka and Barriss quietly finished their coffee. Ahsoka contacted Asajj, explaining that the situation was no longer safe on Pantora.

"I hate to ruin the rest period, but we are targets, Ventress. We'll have to get ready to leave soon!"

Ventress sighed. She hated the thought of spending her life looking over her shoulder. At first, joining with Ahsoka was a matter of survival, and for a moment felt like a beneficial partnership. Now, however, she just sighed quietly and nodded at Ahsoka.

Ventress made haste to her ship, all the while her frustration was building, until she sat down in the cockpit.

And then she had a thought. She frowned and stared at the controls for a second. It would be so easy to just slip away. She was so tired of running and fighting. But she also remembered what it was like to be abandoned. She sighed and closed her eyes, scared.

"Hurry Ahsoka!" Asajj started warming up the ship and waited. She would wait for the others. A lifetime of running and fighting. She committed herself to it, come what may.

 

Chuchi led the others towards the Assembly building when they noticed the Republic Cruisers exiting hyperspace in the lower atmosphere.

"It's.....Master Plo Koon's attack force!" Ahsoka's jaw dropped in horror, as if Baron Papanoida wanted her to know that when it rained on Pantora, it would pour.

"Commander Wolffe...." Barriss closed her eyes and knew the stakes had just been brought to a whole new level. With The Chancellor, Tarkin, Wolffe and the Jedi, it would be winner take all this time.

 

Conradin was running towards them.

"Come on, we need to get to the spaceport!"

"Too Late!" Ahsoka frowned and pointed up at the fleet. Several dozen fighters and LAAT gunships launched from the cruisers to swarm the city.

"We have to get Ventress to come to us!" Chuchi gritted her teeth as they ran to the sanctuary "Once the troopers cover the spaceport, there will be no escape!"

Conrad started to panic "If Ventress gives away her position by coming to us, they'll blast her out of the sky! Right now they do not know which ship is hers!"

"Conradin, she'll be blasted out of the sky if we leave through the spaceport for sure! At least this way we have a fighting chance by delaying them in the sanctuary!" Ahsoka argued.

"What about your plan?" Barriss asked him quickly.

Conradin looked up in the sky. A fourth Venator class cruiser exited hyperspace next to the attack group. Conradin smiled as his com link signaled from above.

"Emerald General, it is Commander VGR-001, reporting for duty! What are your orders?"

"Old friend, it's good to hear from you!" Conradin grinned "I need you to do a delaying action, can you keep those Clones busy?"

"We will give them a merry little chase, sir!" VGR saluted from the deck of the Clone cruiser. The Clones and deck crew were all sitting off to one corner, having been subdued and were surrounded by VGR's troops.

"All guns, open fire! Launch fighters!! And I want the LAAT teams ready for ground assault!"

The ship's cannons opened fire with all guns and droid pilots in clone fighters launched from the hangar to draw enemy fire.

"Conrad!" Riyo looked at him in a moment of surprise. "How did you get a clone cruiser full of droids?"

"Hey, it's me!" Conradin grinned, not giving away the fact that he was equally surprised his plan worked.

They ran for the sanctuary, Ahsoka called out on her com link to Ventress "Meet us behind the consulate, Asajj!! We've been given some breathing room!"

"I'm on it!" Ventress replied swiftly. She fired the engines into full drive and launched the ship up into the sky, making a straight line for the Assembly. Some Clone fighters chased behind her, firing at her engines, but they were blasted by droids very quickly.

 

On board Plo Koon's command ship, there was more activity than the stoic Jedi had anticipated.

"Commander Wolffe, it seems our operation to capture Ahsoka has been compromised!"

"I don't know how the clankers got a hold of the Moenia, but we'll make them pay!" Wolffe looked down at his tactical table with determination.

"Sir, we've spotted the Jedi and they are making their way to the Embassy! Senator Chuchi and Hadranus are with them!" An officer reports.

Wolffe made his way to the elevator. "Master Jedi, it's time we put these shinanigans to an end!"

Plo Koon followed with a somber expression "I'm afraid you are right."

They made their way to a small group of LAATs waiting for them. "To the Embassy! Quickly!" Wolffe barked.

 

Conradin and Chuchi entered the Embassy as it was being evacuated. People were scampering as the Clone troops landed and the droids were shooting up the clone ships. Chaos erupted everywhere.

"We can go through the main hall! The exit in the back will lead to a private landing pad for Ventress." Riyo turned to keep running,

Everyone stopped suddenly. Ion had blocked the path with a company of his personal troops.

"Well, Conradin, I guess your stay on Pantora will be short indeed!" Ion sneered.

"Not short enough, if you ask me!" He shrugged. Conradin pulled out his light saber. Ahsoka and Barriss activated their light sabers. Riyo pulled out her pistols

Ion and his men raised their guns. For a moment, all that could be heard was the combat in the sky above, fighters screaming overhead, blasting at each other.

"What's it going to be, Ion?" Ahsoka furled her brow and stepped in front of her friends. "We can do this the easy way....or the hard way..."

Ion's sneer grew with a defiant twist as she stared him down.

"I will make you fall in agony to your knees and wish the ground would swallow you up whole while you begged to be sent to your frozen Pantoran Hell in a box!"

Ion, unimpressed, snorted "So, what's the easy way?"

Ahsoka gave him a shit-eating grin "That IS the easy way!"

Ion lost all patience with her grin

"Kill them all!" His men open fired, but the Jedi training kicked in for Barriss, Ahsoka and Conradin, while Riyo dodged blaster fire to leap behind one of the Ithorian style columns that decorated the vast hall.

Laser blasts erupted around the small group, but they had skills at deflecting the fire from Pantoran guards who likely were not as battle hardened as Conradin, Ahsoka and Barriss.

As the battle raged on, another gun was being aimed at the Jedi. Cad Bane was hiding in the shadowy rafters near the ceiling. He aimed his sniper rifle, modified to fire the syringe. His scope focused in on Barriss as she fought off two Pantoran guards.

"A feisty one!" Cad followed her carefully as she manuevered quickly.

His scope started to shine in the flashing lights that brightened up the hall.

Riyo Chuchi blasted away at the guards, but the reflection off of Bane's scope caught her eye. After a split second of squinting, she saw him. Riyo followed the barrel of his gun and saw that he aimed for Ahsoka's friend.

"SNIPER!!!!" Riyo screamed and ran from her cover. It felt like a horrible punch in her stomach as she entered combat with no thought of defending herself from Ion's men.

All she could do was aim her pistols high and hope she could distract the Bounty Hunter.

She fired wildly up at Cad as she ran. Ahsoka and Conradin looked up as well, but could not do too much while facing soldiers on the ground. Instead, they helped defend Riyo as she ran for Barriss, who was oblivious, caught up in the moment of fighting two soldiers.

"Riyo! I've got you covered!" Ahsoka stayed close.

Cad Bane had steady nerves as Chuchi's blasts scorched around him. He just needed to make the shot and run. He finally zeroed in on Offee, who stood her ground with Ion.

Cad drew his final "sniper's breath", as he squeezed the trigger and launched the syringe.

Riyo felt the punch in her stomach grow horribly as she saw the projectile. There was no time for anything else. So she tackled Barriss and covered her body from harm. Riyo braced herself for the pain of being shot.

"RIYO!!!" Ahsoka looked on in horror. Riyo and Barriss heard a thud and a grunt as the syringe with the deadly nanobots made a hit. But not on Riyo.

Conradin, in a strange moment that happened too fast, was close enough to Riyo. He had intended to deflect the shot with his saber, but miscalculated. The syringe caught him in the wrist.

Ahsoka, in shock, waved her hand at the remaining Pantorans and Ion, knocking them back, clearing a wide area for Barriss and Riyo as they recovered from the tackle.

Conradin looked at the syringe, not knowing what it was, but he already started to feel uncomfortable.

Cad Bane muttered a curse under his breath as he ran to a window and jumped clear. He missed the target, but maybe all was not lost. Conradin was the perfect weapon to finish the mission. It was a matter of getting to his ship in the next two minutes and getting away from the building.

Ventress called in from her ship "I'm at the landing pad!! You guys better move fast! The Clones are at the front gate!"

Everything was quiet as everyone seemed to stare at Conradin. Barriss in particular saw what had happened, the wound Conradin snatched from Riyo. Barriss let out a small cry of despair.

"No! Conradin! You've been injected with nanobots!" Her heart stopped in terror, the horrible memory of her attack on the temple. Guilt flooded every inch of her, knowing again that her good intentions would lead down a horrible paved road to a personal hell.

Conradin looked at them in shock.

"Nanobots!" Ahsoka shouted. She was about to yell for everyone to evacuate the building, but she looked at Conradin.

He sighed to himself. "Well, this is a fine way to end the day." He tried make light of it, but started feeling uneasy. The fatal process was about to begin.

"Brace yourself, this is going to sting!" Barriss ran to him, with her saber poised, though it was a moment of desperation.

"It's time for you to go." Conradin was ready to accept his doom, but Barriss had one chance to stop the nanobots from spreading.

She severed his infected arm halfway between the elbow and the wrist.

Conradin's shocked yell was more out of surprise than pain, though the burn was fast and cauterized the wound.

Barriss dropped her lightsaber and placed her hands on him for a fast healing affect. He could see her holding back tears, full of shock at her own actions.

"Ich lasse dich nicht sterben! Nicht so!" She whispered in his native Achillean language. She looked up at him with sad affection, feeling the guilt of what she once was in the past.

Wolffe and Plo Koon burst into the hall with several dozen soldiers.

"Ahsoka Tano! Barriss Offee! Senator Chuchi! Conradin Hadranus! I am surrounding the building, there is no escape!" Wolffe called out to them.

 

Conradin ran over and grabbed Ion with his free hand and held him close.

"What are you doing!? Ae you mad!?" Ion panicked.

Plo Koon stepped forward "Let him go, Senator Hadranus. There's no point in holding him hostage. You're better then that."

Master Plo Koon looked out at them. He sensed a lot of panic, and noticed Conradin was starting to sweat. Not out of nervousness. He was wounded.

"Master Plo Koon....there's something you should all know...."

Conradin looked down at the severed hand, which was incubating nanobots that were designed with only one purpose.

Wolffe, following protocol with a little too much confidence, contacted Baron Papanoida on the comlink.

"Baron, we have captured all of them!".

The Baron's image was projected to a life size hologram. He wanted to savor the moment.

"Ah, Wolffe! I have linked us to the media and live coverage from Coruscant news. I want the Entire Core of worlds to know.....wait, did you say you captured all of them? I had not-"

"What's the matter, Papanoida!?" Conradin interrupted "You look surprised. Ion here said that only Ahsoka was to survive!"

"Wolffe, arrest this traitor!" Papanoida waved him off, but he looked concerned over at Barriss, who was very much alive and too close to Ion for the Baron's comfort.

"I don't know who the target was supposed to be, but there is now a ticking time bomb, Baron! This building is set to be vaporized with us in it if we don't evacuate!"

"FATHER! HE WAS INJECTED WITH THE NANOBOTS!!! THAT FOOL CAD BANE MISSED!!"

Ion pointed at the hand on the floor. Everyone instinctively backed away, though no one wanted to turn and run in a room full of trigger happy clones.

The Baron, in that moment of what was to be a media celebration of his heroism, and come to regret his glory hounding. The media was watching with him, live, and everything was about to literally and figuratively blow up in his face.

"Ion, you must calm down. You're not making any sense-"

"YOU said Cad Bane would kill Barriss and make us heroes! She would be blamed for the Nanobots! Do something, Father!! He's about to blow me to pieces with him!!" Ion wore his feelings on his sleeve, and those feelings came blurting out like a flood.

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Papanoida panicked. how much of this had become a huge debacle? How much could he still salvage?

Wolffe looked at them all, confused. "What's going on here?"

Plo Koon was no fool "We must get out of here. Conradin's severed hand has destructive nanobots!"

Sweat poured all over Conradin as he clutched Ion and taunted Papanoida

"Master Plo Koon, get all of your men out! The nanobots could blow at any moment!"

Wolffe ordered his men out, Plo Koon backed away slowly.

Papanoida screamed at Wolffe "What are you doing? You have to save my son! Shoot Conradin! You and your men are the great Wolf pack!! You're not supposed to flee! COWARDS!"

Wolffe dropped the comlink and backed his way to the door "I'm not taking any chances setting off the nanobots!"

Ahsoka felt the tension rise, but was also furious with the Baron, a man she thought she could trust. Ironic that she found him to be just as corrupt and dark hearted as Grievous and Dooku. And even more cowardly in his behavior.

"You were going to blow up my friend Barriss? YOU'RE AN ANIMAL!!!"

Papanoida cracked under the ticking of time running out "You are a naive little girl! You're a bigger fool you think you are going to thwart my plans. This is for the greater glory of the Republic and the Chancellor's victory over the Separatists! Maybe Ion will perish, but so will you and your traitorous friends! then I shall be a welcome hero on pantora....and Ion a martyr!!

"FATHER!! DAMN YOU, FATHER!!" Ion felt the sting of Papanoida's breakdown on live news.

"Everyone out! Ahsoka, get everyone out of here!!" Conradin started pulling back.

"Conrad.....I'm so sorry....that bomb was meant for me...." Barriss shook her head and had no words to decribe the guilt that overwhelmed her for cutting off his hand.

Barriss looked at Papanoida "Is this what you wanted? MORE death to gain glory? I wanted to end the war, not prolong it!"

Ahsoka gently took her hand and made her back away.

Barriss looked at Conradin. He looked into her eyes. And in that instant, he felt a peace come over him. He loosened his grip on Ion and pushed him away.

"Go on, get out of here. You're not worth it!" Conradin sighed. Ion scurried past Papanoida's image, ignoring his father's pleas and calling out to him.

The severed hand started to vibrate as the nanobots activated a chain reaction that would soon devastate the building.

"Eine Million Todesfälle sind nicht gut genug für Papanoida!" Barriss sobbed mournfully. She spoke with bitterness to Conradin in his native Achillean language as they ran for the exit, a language she learned over the times she had gotten to know him before the war, before the tragedies that followed in 3 years of bloodshed.

Conradin smiled at her and replied also in his native language.

"Barriss, keine Angst vor der Dunkelheit. Sie meinen Tod trauern nicht. Ich habe das Licht in deinen Augen gefunden. Ich bin zu Hause." The four of them ran for the exit.

Barriss was married to Ahsoka, and there was no doubt of her love for the woman that rescued her from darkness. Ahsoka could tell, however, that Barriss and Conradin were close friends, a friendship was made from several long difficult struggles.

"Come on, Barriss. We are ALL going to make it out of here. Alive."

They started to exit, Ahsoka covering them at the door.

"You and your pathetic band have only delayed the inevitable!" Papanoida shouted in a desperate attempt to get the last word.

Ahsoka rushed Barriss and Conradin out and looked back at the Baron's image.

"Palpatine will not stand for this! We will hunt down your friends and your escape will be for nothing! You cannot help them against my Clone armies and the Jedi! Where ever you run, where you try to hide, you will be chased down, outnumbered and outgunned!"

"I only hope you one day take a good look at what you've become. Barriss found her way back to the light, I truly hope you might do the same."

Papanoida scoffed "I am the lord of Pantora! I have the power of life and death over you, and you will see what I have become when you are dragged back to Coruscant in chains!"

"I'm sure I am not the only one who sees what you really are. Enjoy your spotlight. You've earned it!"

Ahsoka used her Force powers to jump through the door, clear of the blast. Everything went a bright flash of light, blinding papanoida on Coruscant.

The four of them boarded the ship. Ventress swiftly flew away from the landing pad just in time. The Embassy burst into a ball of fire and smoke, collapsing in on itself.

Barriss hugged Ahsoka dearly, and Ahsoka cradled her. It was a hard moment, but they knew that Fate had given them a fighting chance. More importantly, Papanoida's arrogance had exposed his schemes to the media at the moment he supposedly had victory in his grasp. There would consequences of the Baron's error of having the media present. His moment of glory became a dark chapter in Palpatine's administration.....a mark that would haunt the Chancellor until a new change would shortly occur.....

Ventress was contacted by the Separatist droid, VGR-001. "Mistress Asajj, plot a course for .035, we'll cover you!"

Asajj marveled at the droid efficiency as a squadron of captured Republic fighters escorted them to the Venator ship "Moenia".

"I'm impressed. These droids fight better in the Clone ships than they ever did in their own!"

Conradin smiled a little while holding his stump arm with some pain "They are from Emerald fleet, troops under General VGR-001. They're the best!"

Ventress landed her ship in the hangar bay of the cruiser.

VGR-001 observed the tactical situation on the bridge. His assistant, the resourceful astromech R5-D4, watched the battle by his side. "Have all the clone prisoners been released on the Planet surface?" He inquired to one of his command officers.

"Yes, Commander! And we've recalled all our fighters and LAAT transports."

VGR nodded "We have the Emerald General and his companions on board. Helmsman, prepare jump coordinates to leave the system!"

Asajj, Conradin, Ahsoka, Riyo and Barriss entered the bridge. Conradin knelt down and hugged his friend R5.

"You are a sight for sore eyes! You did it! You saved us!" Conradin smiled as R5 beeped happily.

He also shook hands with VGR "Your arrival was great calculating!" Conradin smiled.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14ZkxaV7fQQ

 

"We're no out of the woods yet!" VGR pointed ahead "We have to get past the remaining two cruisers of the Wolf pack!

VGR was bring his cruiser dangerously close to Commander Wolffe's attack group, trying to slip between the battered capital ships.

Commander Wolffe and Master Plo Koon opened a comlink to VGR and the others.

Plo Koon was particularly anxious to plead with Ahsoka not to end the battle of Pantora in this manner.

Wolffe was all business as he confronted them. "Traitors of the Republic! I order you to surrender, or I will unleash holy HELL upon that rust bucket! Commander Ahsoka, you will retrieve every person on board and deactivate the clankers NOW!"

Plo Koon was a little more gentle "Ahsoka, I know this was not the best circumstances to meet again, I wish so much had gone differently. Don't let your legacy with the Jedi end this way, protecting a murderer and joining the droids. Come back to the Order....."

Ahsoka sighed heavily and looked at him fondly.

"I have seen too much death, Master Plo Koon. The Jedi have become willing participants of the despot Palpatine, the Warlord Tarkin, the merciless Commander Wolffe and the megalomaniac Papanoida. The Order has no future, and neither does the Republic. I have nothing to come back to."

Ahsoka held Barriss' hand. "I found my Destiny here."

Barriss was too humble to speak, but felt the courage of Ahsoka's love and forgiveness in the face of the cold political schemes of the powers that Plo Koon now unwittingly represented.

"My future lies in a better place!" Ahsoka concluded defiantly as she looked at her wife.

Wolffe, having lost his patience, arrogantly barged in front of the Jedi Master to face all of them.

"You are about to be caught in a crossfire with our ships! You will give up and scrap these kriffing Clankers or I'll burn you all to the ground!"

VGR boldly stood in front of the others, facing his equal. "We are not just kriffing klankers! We are the soldiers of Emerald fleet and WE WILL NOT YIELD! The battle is ours to lose!"

"Arrogant can opener!" Wolffe blustered.

VGR shut off the comlink. "Full speed ahead! All guns prepare to fire on my signal. Helmsman, on my command, I want you to shut down all stabilizers!"

"Yes, sir!" The droid officer acknowledged.

Asajj looked at Conradin in shock "What the frell is he planning to do? We'll all be blasted to pieces!!"

Conradin shrugged with a smile "Hey, he's in command, but I like where he's going with this...."

Ahsoka and Barriss held each other and looked at Conradin, Riyo, and Ventress.

"Whatever happens.....we would both like to thank you all for helping us. We would never have gotten this far without your help." Ahsoka showed her gratitude.

Barriss looked at Conradin, both exchanging an unspoken feeling. She knew he loved her dearly, and that he sacrificed so much already for a love that could never be, but she was grateful all the same.

They were about to test the tactical moxie of Droid versus Clone in an ultimate showdown. The laser batteries fired from both sides, but the side cannons of the Venators would finish the fight once and for all.

VGR's cruiser started moving between Wolffe's ships

"Steady.....steady....."

 

Wolffe watched as the cruiser was about to line up in the crosshairs of all his guns. "Just like a droid to walk into the trap!" he smiled. Plo Koon was not so confident.

VGR calculated every detail down to the last possible second as his ships nearly aligned itself comfortably between the two Republic ships.

"All guns fire! Helmsman, shut off all stabilizers NOW!"

VGR's cannons gave one massive volley, the stabilizers that kept his cruiser going up shut down, letting the bare weight of the ship to plummet out of the firing zone of Wolffe's guns

"FIRE!!" Wolffe shouted in surprise, but it was too late.

The crossfire that would have obliterated VGR's ship now devastated Wolffe's command. Both Clone ships began to disintegrate from their own attack. Wolffe ordered everyone to abandon ship as the two cruisers sank to the surface in smoke and fire.

"All engines and stabilizers at FULL POWER! NOW!" VGR-001 was about to pull off another miracle. In a few minutes, the RSS Moenia pulled itself back on course and launched into the atmosphere, uncontested.

"The future is wide open, General. We sail into history!" VGR looked at Conradin and the others "We are ready to plot a course to wherever you wish to go!"

Conradin looked at Ahsoka and Barriss. "Where do you want Destiny to take you?"

Ahsoka and Barriss stepped forward "I want to go where the war will never try to hurt us again....

She fed the coordinates to VGR, looked into Barriss' eyes and gave her a kiss as the cruiser made the jump to light speed. Surrounded by speeding lights and the thrill of hyperspace, Ahsoka and Barriss were deternmined to keep the happiness they vowed to share.


End file.
